sed when his lawyer (Dame Emma Thompson) arrives for the will reading and declares that he had left an unexpected fortune to his daughter "Rebecca" (Molly Gordon) whom nobody even knew existed until that fateful day. The challenge for the sheep is, though: how can they convey their thoughts to the constable and has he the wherewithal to assemble the clues? Someone described this is as a sort of "Thursday Murder Club" meets "Babe" and that's about the height of it. There are plenty of engaging woolly characters who manage successfully to avoid dipping us in too much sentiment; Braun does the nice-but-dim engagingly and Dame Emma brings a well-dressed imperiousness to the proceedings as the red herrings gradually accumulate and "Cloud", "Mopple" and the grumpy ram "Sebastian" slowly realise that they too might be destined for the inside of a tin can too, if they can't thwart some cunning scheming from their two-legged neighbours. On a marginally more serious note, it also serves to dispel the notion that sheep are all a bit thick as they take quite a few risks - even crossing the road - to get to the truth. This is a family film in that there is plenty for the kids, but there is also enough of a mystery and some comedy for the grown ups too, and if you're in the mood for something light, fluffy and entirely devoid of crooning then this ought to do the trick.

able expectations going into a kids movie, right? The village is charming and the characters have some chemistry. For me it suffered from severe miscasting. Hugh Jackman couldn’t make this material work through little fault of his own. To make that character work it really needed a gruff, older curmudgeon who showed us his soft, tender, underbelly at the end. I think this movie would have fared better by setting my expectations lower. I see that Jackman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Emma Thompson are in a flick together and I’m expecting something special. But the comedy didn’t really work for me. Don’t misunderstand me, it’s an OK movie. But I wouldn’t watch it again.

le it is funny, it isn't funny to the degree where it ruins the actual junior murder plot that is afoot here. I had a lot of fun watching this and I think I can recommend it.

eorge, the shepherd who reads mystery novels to his beloved sheep each night, never suspecting they understand every word. It's a warm, gentle performance that anchors the film's heart. But the real stars here are the sheep themselves, backed up by an all-star voice cast including Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Patrick Stewart, Regina Hall, Bella Ramsey, and with Emma Thompson as George's lawyer. Each brings distinct personality to their woolly detective, and the ensemble work is genuinely charming. Kudos to the FX team for creating phenomenal talking sheep that never get in the way of the storytelling. The animation and effects are seamlessly integrated; the sheep feel believable within the film's reality without ever tipping into uncanny valley territory or becoming distracting spectacle. The technical achievement serves the story rather than overwhelming it. This is highly creative and heartwarming filmmaking, a mystery that works on its own terms while delivering messages about tolerance, belonging, and love. The sheep, after all, are outsiders solving a crime in a human world that underestimates them, and there's real sweetness in watching them prove their worth. And perhaps there's a subtle feather in the cap of vegetarians here; spending two hours with these clever, endearing creatures makes you think twice about what we eat.